Brody Buster Wins 2017 IBC "Best Harmonica Player"

BRODY BUSTER WINS "BEST HARMONICA PLAYER" AT 2017 IBC, FINISHES SECOND IN "BEST SOLO/DUO" CATEGORY

(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE) - Brody Buster took home "Best Harmonica Player" at the 2017 IBC (International Blues Challenge) on February 4 at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, TN, beating out a very competitive field of talented music acts. The Lawrence, KS resident, who fronts Brody Buster's One Man Band as well as the Brody Buster Trio, also won second place in the "Best Solo/Duo" category at the IBC, where he was representing the Kansas City Blues Society.     "Winning best harmonica player is great, but winning second place in the solo/duo category is also important to me," states Buster. "I have been playing harmonica my whole life but for to place second in solo act category is huge for me because I have only been doing this One Man Band thing for about three years. My guitar playing and my drumming have come along way in three years. I think winning these awards will help my career, but more than anything I think winning these awards validated all the hype from when I was a kid, 'I am no longer a novelty sideshow oh wow look at this kid' act. Now I am appreciated among real musicians, and after doing this for twenty-five years it feels good!". Brody Buster - Some Background   Brody Buster's unique and extensive experiences in the music industry have been a bit of awhirlwind, to say the least. As a tow-headed 9 year old, Buster was heralded by Blues legend BB King – who made the pronouncement after pulling Buster onstage during the midst of a full house at a sold out concert- as “one of the greatest harmonica players of our time, despite his age, believe it or not.”  ​   Since those days of sitting in with BB King and appearing on Entertainment Tonight and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as a young phenomenon, Brody has grown into a formidable front man, band leader and songwriter in his own right. Over the past few years, since forming The Brody Buster Band, his continued development as a vocalist, guitarist and writer have earned him his deserved, and still growing reputation as one of Kansas City's “Can’t Miss” live acts.   Brody traveled to the International Blues Competition in Memphis this February 2017, as Brody Buster's One-Man Band, representing the Kansas City Blues Society after sweeping through the local blues qualifying competitions to earn the crown of Kansas City’s representative in the solo/duo category. He went on to capture first place in the "Best Harmonica Player" competition while finishing as the runner-up in the "Best Solo/Duo" category, resulting in recent multiple offers to perform at Blues festivals throughout the U.S.     Brody Buster’s One Man Band performs regularly around the Kansas City Metro vicinity, with weekly residences at The Westport Saloon, The Inter Continental Hotel, and The Brick- in addition to a monthly show at The Jazz. The Brody Buster Band also continues to play shows both locally and regionally. ​   The Brody Buster Band are a hard-charging blues rock trio consisting of Jimmy Lacy on bass, Colby Earleywine on drums, and Brody Buster on guitar, harmonica and vocals. They burst onto the Kansas City blues and rock scene in 2011 with their full band release of originals on Will Die Young, (October 2011). Together with last year’s release of his Brody Buster’s One Man Band, (March 2016), Buster has evolved as much as his music, growing into a cutting-edge, relevant and ascendant solo and ensemble act, with an unlimited future ahead.              Brody Buster's One Man Band Wins "Best Harmonica Player" at 2017 IBC Finals

Guitar Prodigy Ray Goren Plays IBC Roots & Blues Showcase

ACCLAIMED GUITAR PRODIGY RAY GOREN PERFORMS AT ROOTS & BLUES SHOWCASE IN MEMPHIS DURING IBC WEEK Thurs, Feb. 2 - PURPLE HAZE NIGHT CLUB  - Set Time Approx. 4:00 PM

"Teen Phenom"  - Pasadena Weekly "Ray Goren is fast becoming the young hot guitar picker to watch in the blues world and beyond" - San Francisco Chronicle   (Memphis, TN) - Acclaimed SoCal-based guitar prodigy Ray Gorenperforms at the Roots & Blues Showcase taking  place at Purple Haze Night Club during 2017 International Blues Challenge Week, on Thursday, February 2. Set time: Approximately 4:00 pm. 140 Lt George W. Lee Ave. Info: (901) 577-1139 or http://www.purplehazenightclub.com/.    "No one rattles the place like Ray Goren, from the Los Angeles area. He plays electric guitar — and sings — with a fluency, ease and depth of expression that defy easy explanation”.”                             Howard Reich, CHICAGO TRIBUNE   Just a few years ago, after seeing Ray Goren play at the Golden State Theater in Monterey, California, reviewer Jason Debord wrote on Rocksubculture.com: “Ray is a real phenomenon, and you sit there not believing what you are seeing and hearing…It was really one of the most unbelievable moments I’ve experienced at any concert. Amazing.” Dazzled by his raw, intense live performances, Chicago Tribune critic Howard Reich once wrote, “No one rattles the place like Ray Goren.”   The NYC born, SoCal-raised singer, songwriter and trailblazing electric guitarist has been getting that kind of jaw-dropping attention since he first picked up the guitar at age eight. A purely indie self-release, Save My Soul EP title single, reached the Top 40 on the BDS (Billboard/Nielsen) Triple AAA radio chart.   Goren traces his musical trajectory back to when he and his parents lived in a small apartment on New York’s Upper West Side. He was noodling around on a toy keyboard at the age of three and by five the budding musician was listening to Oscar Peterson and Thelonious Monk, and playing jazz on his piano. Ray has said that "the soul of my music is tied to the blues. However, instead of growing and evolving from blues to rock, I listened to Stevie Wonder, D’Angelo, Amy Winehouse, Donny Hathaway, Prince and others. Later I listened to rock artists like, Jimi Hendrix, Maroon 5, Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead and Imagine Dragon. I have also always been inspired by lyrically-driven artists like Leon Russell, Bob Dylan and more recently by J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar and Drake. I want to be a unique artist and create my own sound."   As he continues to musically mature and grow his guitar prowess, Ray's sound has morphed into a vibrant amalgamation of the Blues, Rock, Alternative, Soul, and even some Hip-Hop (not unusual, considering he's all of sixteen years of age). Watch for 2017 to be the year that Ray Goren makes his presence felt on not only the national, but international, stage.         Ray Goren - Solo Show from The Mint, Los Angeles, Calif. Feb. 2 (Thur.)          ROOTS & BLUES SHOWCASE     Memphis, TN  Feb. 18 (Sat.)           GENGHIS COHEN                       Los Angeles, CA

Hometown Favorite? Darrin Yarbrough Competes at VCBS IBC Challenge

Hometown Favorite? Longtime Ventura-based musician Darrin Yarbrough and the Shure Thing Band bring their feel-good Countrified-Blues to the Road to Memphis Band Challenge, presented by the Ventura County Blues Society, on Saturday, October 1 at Studio Channel Islands in Camarillo. More at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/shure-thing-band-brandor-both-darrin-yarbrough.

(Camarillo, CA) - Longtime Ventura-based musician Darrin Yarbrough and the Shure Thing Band bring their feel-good Countrified-Blues to the Road to Memphis Band Challenge, presented by the Ventura County Blues Society, on Saturday, October 1 at Studio Channel Islands, 2222 Ventura Blvd. in Camarillo. More at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/shure-thing-band-brandor-both-darrin-yarbrough.                About...Darrin Yarbrough and the Shure Thing Band   "I take culture, apparel, and philosophy from the "Good Ole" American West, mix it with late '60's, early '70's, classic blues-based rock and roll, and arrive at the synthesis of the Shure Thing "Brand," explains Yarbrough. "The "Brand" is a blend of C.C. Filson garments, Black Angus barbecue, the street smarts of a Harlem Smoothie, fast cars, women, and those (like Moses) that are "Mighty in Words and Deeds." Adds Yarbrough, "The Shure Thing Brand is reminiscent of Bon Jovi's lyric, "I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride...wanted, Dead or Alive."   Shure Thing Band started with Yarbrough's vision which revisits the late 60's/early 70's era of rock n roll and integrates modern technological advances with the "Old-School" musicology of Blues Masters like Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, BB King, Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughn; and rock icons, such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimi Page, Kurt Cobain, and John Squire. "I do not categorize musicians by terms, such as "good," or "better,", but rather as, synonymous, or juxtaposed, with my own feelings or interpretations," says Yarbrough. "Categorical imperatives, used to catalog my selections, are characterized by the term, "Electric Gypsies," which, I define by the way these artists make me feel when I hear them play. I want to revisit experiences stemming from the counter-cultural renaissance, and integrate the best of those times with the modern technological advances in musical recording, instrumentation, and sounds of today."    Yarbrough maintains an ongoing involvement with the Saturday Night Bath Band, who educate and help disadvanted youth by presenting educational concerts in Continuation High Schools and Juvenile Detention Centers throughout LA County.   Yarbrough - once offered a Music Publishing contract by the legendary Don Casale (who engineered Iron Butterfly's Platinum record "Inna Gadda Davita) - is presently recording in West Hills, Calif. with noted former MCA Records producer Mark Keefer (Tiffany). The two men are friends and have worked together for over twenty-five years.                                                    "Jesus Hear Me Crying" by Darrin Yarbrough       linkedin.com/pulse/shure-thing-band-brandor-both-darrin-yarbrough                                facebook.com/tallytwhacker                               facebook.com/shurethingband                                 muzooka.com/shurethingband

IBC Artist Announces European/UK Tour

Dan Phelps Northern Illinois Bluesman Chosen to Represent Crossroads Blues Society at IBC Memphis Bluesman Announces Return Tour to UK/Europe   These are exciting times for Dan Phelps and his lovely wife Sarah.  Together they share a dream, a hope, and they see the dream coming alive.  Nothing is greater in this world then when you can light up a room with a song and someone you love is whole heartedly supporting your efforts as you deliver everything you’ve got on the stage and in the studio.  It's with that level of support that Dan entered and was chosen to represent The Crossroads Blues Society in Northern Illinois.  In fact he's just announced a seventh tour to the UK and Europe and has enlisted the assistance of John Roberts of Barking Spider Productions UK to do it all again.  Dan’s previous offshore engagements have taken him to the Dorchester Arts Centre in Dorchester, The Navy Club in Mayport England, The Borderline in London, Monroe's Tavern in Galway Ireland, The Howlin' Wolf in Glasgow Scotland, and The Blues House in Milan, Italy.  Additionally, Dan just played a house concert hosted by the famous bluesman Tom Doughty in the UK.  Today, armed with great hope fueled by the tremendous support of his wife, their local blues society, his fans, a brand new CD, a shot at the title in Memphis, along with the upcoming show dates Dan has never been more excited about his future.  The key influences on Dan's career are none other than Son House, Blind Willie Johnson, Charley Patton and in his on stage performances you note a touch of the famed Tom Waits coming through as well.  Dan will be the first to tell you of his unwavering love of Delta Blues and how these incredible influences made an indelible mark on his very being.  As a bluesman once stated, "You either is or you ain't"  and as so many other bluesman have said - you must feel the blues and not just play the blues.  Dan's live performances reveal that the man has the feeling.  Just in 2014 alone he performed on stage at three American blues festivals: Chicago Blues Fest, Bay Front Duluth, Minnesota and Field of Blues Rockford, Illinois.  Plus Dan performed abroad as well in 2014 and don't forget his new CD, "Going Home".  It’s obvious when you see him live that he loves what he is doing and on more than one occasion, working in conjunction with The Crossroads Blues Society, they have taken the blues to music students in their schools.  The blues is either in you or it ain't and if it is then you automatically want to let it out, you want to share it.  Doesn't matter if the bluesman's performance is in front of a clap board building with a kitchen chair with your name all over it or if you find yourself laying it down for thirty kids in a classroom - you either is or you ain't.  If you are going to IBC Memphis you might want to check out this man's performance.  Dan Phelps will be billed on the solo act roster.   Dan Phelps Website  www.danphelpsblues.net FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dan-Phelps-Music/1401784250068605?ref=bookmarks YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwIwd_wD--0&feature=youtu.be&list=UUcZXBlRzIps9zdAZPp5brzw Dan Phelps photo courtesy John Connell

You know you want to go - you know you want to go big time! Dan Phelps returns to the UK and Europe! Watch for the exact dates, cities, and clubs on Dan's website and FaceBook page This is Dan's third CD. Going Home is on the Vincent Records label and available at CD Baby and iTunes